Leader of the All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) SJB Parliamentarian Rishad Bathiudeen,who is accused of having an underhand deal with the Government, said he would decide whether his party would support Budget 2022 or not after the party’s Central Committee meets on Sunday (21).
He was speaking at the opening of the children’s playground at the Nirulla Muslim School in Akurana yesterday (18).
Speculation about Bathiudeen having a secret deal with the Rajapaksa Government surfaced with his release from remand prison and his absence in recent protests organised by the SJB. “Our party is not satisfied with this Budget.
But we have not yet decided whether to support the Budget or not. That decision will be taken next Sunday. Our party did not participate in the recent protests by the SJB because we have not yet formed an alliance with Sajith Premadasa. However, we work together as the Opposition. I praised Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in Parliament recently, and some people have assumed that we have a deal with the Government. We have no such deal with the Government,” the ACMC Leader said. During the nine years that Mahinda Rajapaksa was President, I worked with that Government. At that time President Rajapaksa and I did a lot of work to develop the North and the East as well as the country.
He has proved to be a good leader who worked for the country. But the present Government has not done anything in the past two years. The only thing that has happened is the economy has collapsed and the country is going backwards,” he added. “It is true that several members of our party supported the Government on the 20th Amendment to the Constitution. But this is not the view of our party.
This is the just personal opinion of MPs. Today,some Ministers take to the streets and criticise the Government to the public and the Media but never say a word against the Government in Parliament. We say criticising the Government on the roads should be really done in Parliament. People have now identified the double standards,” he said.
“Anyone one who wants peace, unity and brotherhood in this country would accept giving the leadership of the Presidential Task Force on ‘One Country, One Law’ to Ven. Gnanasara Thera. My view is the same,” Bathiudeen added. “I have something to say to the people of this country. I was imprisoned twice for my innocence.
I was once imprisoned for giving the right to vote to the hundreds of thousands of Muslims who lost their voting rights. The second time I was imprisoned for aiding and abetting terrorism. These are absurd and baseless allegations. I tell the people of this country that the truth will one day prevail,” he said.